Painting of Sea Cliffs, 24" x 36", Oil on Canvas

"The Bluffs at Dungeness"

Well, OK. I never seem to find the time to do this anymore. But I do have a really crazy schedule. I'm attending Georgetown Atelier in Seattle three days a week, teaching all day Friday, doing homework Saturday and Sunday and Monday I run a life drawing group so I can get some more practice in. Phew.

The Blue Whole Gallery in Sequim, where I show, is having a gala auction event as a fund raiser next Saturday. I managed to squeeze this out toward the end of my summer vacation and frame it just in time. It was accepted for live auction so I'm pretty happy. The interesting thing about this piece is that it was painted using just three colors and white. A very limited palette. But it goes to show how nicely this technique lends itself to a cohesive painting with good color harmony. It's a donation and I truly hope it raises some money for the event.

Charcoal and White Chalk Nude Figure, 10" x 14" on Paper

"Veronica"nfs

We had our student show at Georgetown Atelier just a week or two ago. It was a grand success and I'm proud to say that we're getting some notice now at places like Gage Academy where Juliette Aristedies teaches and some of the finest instructors and students turn out notable work. For a brand new atelier just starting up, we already have a good number of applications for the fall. I'm happy to report that I'm planning on attending three days a week instead of just two next year. I feel that the additional time spent in life drawing can only lead to improvement.

"Veronica" was one of the pieces I turned out this year. There's a lot more going on in the half tones than appears here. I've had some difficulty in picking them up with the camera.

I've had little time to paint this year with all the time spent at school and teaching my own classes. I hope with the summer break to be able to get some easel time in.

I just attended a three day workshop led by John Clarke from the American Society of Aviation Painters. It was on perspective. Coupled with some evening lectures by Michael Grimaldi on Human Anatomy for the Artist, I feel like I have some pretty good tools for my tool box. I intend to spend some time this summer brushing up on color and doing some plein aire painting. The weather here has finally started to warm a bit. Can you believe I'm still wearing a wind breaker in the mornings when I walk? And it's flannel lined! This is the last week of classes at the atelier so I'm getting in gear for the upcoming Studio Tour. Hope you can drop by for a visit during the weekend of July 16, 17 and 18th. I'll be painting in the studio and I'd love to see you!
Click here to find out more.

Sunset Landscape Painting, ll" x 14", Oil on Board

"The Way Home"

I love that time of day when the light is low and shadows are long. The violets and reds in the landscape are especially prevalent and the shadows warm. This piece was done largely from imagination. It's really one of many places I have built in my head and where I go when I need a litle peace. Hope you like it.

Currently NFS because I need to build up some images for this year's studio tour in July. Giclee prints are available in sizes to order. Email me if you're interested.

Impressionist Painting of Dogwood Flowers, 8" x 10", Oil on Canvas

"Dazzle"




It's really been a long while since I have found the time to indulge in a small floral. I'm a little rusty but once things got moving, the flowers flowed off my brush. I chose these Dogwoods because I enjoy the crisp white blooms that stand out against a darker background. I put in the yellow tablecloth to brighten things up a bit. With the Seqim Arts Studio Tour coming up in July, I have to start getting things framed and some new work complted. I've targeted Saturday afternoon for that task and hope to put out some new landscapes as well before the awaited date. I'm keeping to small formats for these, but framing them with wide mats and thin gold frames. They look spiffy.

As we get closer to the date, I'll start posting work that will be exclusive to the show and also links to maps and guides for the tour. The studio tour is being held during the Sequim Lavendar Festival. It's a huge event and we have all kinds of wonderful things happening from wine tasting to Jazz in the Alley scheduled for the long weekend. Anyone interested should contact the Sequim Chamber of Commerce.

Charcoal Drawing of Male Nude, 11" x 15" on Paper

"Sleep"

School has had me so busy, I've not had much easel time for pursuing my own desires. However, it did finally occur to me that I could be posting some of the academic work that I have been doing. So here's one of a charcoal drawing I completed recently. The stuff is so fragile, I lost quite a bit of the rendering in just getting it home from Seattle, however, enough remains that I was able to photograph it for you. Hope you like it. At least you know I haven't been making all this school stuff up.

Landscape Painting of Santa Ynez River and Oaks, 11" x 14", Pastel on Board

"Evening on the Santa Ynez"
NFS

This winter has been flying by. Between school and teaching, I've been busy working with a committee to create a brochure and advertisements for the upcoming Fourth Annual Sequim Arts Open Studio Tour. As a result, it finally dawned on me that I had better start squeezing some time out of the easel in preparation for this event which is only five months away. Here's a little landscape I worked on last week. I have yet to scan and make prints available, but at least the original is done.

Painting of Ancient Teapot and fruit, 11" x 14", Oil on Panel

"Old but not forgotten"
Currently NFS

I've been so busy since the holidays I've hardly had a day to spare. But as I just finished this piece as an entry for a show, I decided I'd better take the time to post it. This piece was definitely not a daily painting. While some parts were done partially ala prima, for the most part, it took me several long sittings to finish. Photographing Oils is always a challenge as they tend to reflect light. It's so hard to prevent this from occuring that it can take me a week or more before I can create the right lighting situation to photograph them. This is the best I was able to accomplish. Hope it works for the competition.

School continues to be a challenge and a passion. I spend two days in Seattle now and then race home to teach two classes back to back on Wednesday. Not much time left for other things. Hope you like this. Next piece is a pastel landscape.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year

It's Christmas Eve and I'm scurrying about trying to get ready to visit with friends this evening, attend church (yes - I'm Jewish but my husband is Baptist and our friends are all a mix!) and then host a small gathering tomorrow. I'd like to take this opportunity from my hectic schedule to wish all of you a very merry Christmas - Happy Chaunuka and a healthy and more prosperous New Year. As always, we hold in our hearts and prayers the many men and women who are serving our country both here and abroad. My heartfelt thanks to all of you for sharing in this journey I enbarked on some three years ago. I'm so happy to share it with you all.

Oil Painting of White Orchids and Red Tapestry, 13" x 21.5", Oil on Unstretched Canvas

"Balance"
I've been meaning to do a wall hanging for some time. A recent trip to Korea gave me the nudge I needed to get started. I chose some unstretched canvas for the job and then got busy. This painting is not yet for sale as I need to add the fabric and tassels that will complete it as a wall hanging. To see how this painting was done, to www.musensbysusan.blogspot.com and follow the links.

Oil Painting of Peonies and Lace Tablecloth with fruit, 21" x 24", Oil on Panel

"Peonies and Old English Lace"
This painting is available. Email me for pricing and information.

I've been working on this piece for some time but because of time constraints and an impossible schedule, I'm only getting around to publishing it today.

As you've no doubt noticed, I'm not publishing very much at all these days. School and teaching have me completely tied up and then with only four days left in the week, I'm only getting to paint what I please about one or two days a week. Hence, no time for daily painting. While I mourn the loss of visibility and, obviously sales, I'm truly flourishing in the academic environment. I just love attending Georgetown Atelier and teaching has become more exciting and rewarding for me as a result.

I'll be renaming this blog to something more appropriate soon and am considering withdrawing from DailyPainters.com unless I can find the time to publish more often. I hope, despite that, that you will opt to still receive my blog posts. I have truly loved doing business and sharing my work with all of you and hope to someday be able to give you more paintings on a regular basis. However, school is a long time committment for me and as I wish to open an atelier of my own some day, this is an opportunity I must take advantage of while I still can do so.
I still intend to publish to the blog smaller pieces for occasional sale and pastels as they become available. As I am required to produce for the Blue Whole Gallery in Sequim, I will still be posting a few times a month.

Landscape Painting of Meadow and Stream at Sunrise, Unframed Image 5" x 7"

"Landscape Variation No. 2"

Available Framed or Unframed

Unframed no Matt $45.00 Unframed with Matt $50.00 Framed with Matt $75.00

Here's the second variation on the landscape theme I've been playing with. This is also available with three options - framed with matt, unframed with a matt, unframed with no matt.

For those of you who have wanted to purchase a pastel but have been concerned about the piece being ruined or smeared before you could frame it, this is a good opportunity to purchase a pastel without worry. The small frame fully protects the piece under glass and it's framed size of 8" x 10" is great for hanging in small out of the way places which won't accommodate a larger piece.

Pastel Landscape of Trees and Stream, Image 5" x 7"

"Variation No. 1"

Available Framed or Unframed

Unframed with Matt $50.00 Framed with Matt $75.00 Unframed no matt $45.00

I've just returned from a trip to South Korea. This trip was part of a military revisit tour offered by Korea to all veterans who fought in the Korean War. Korea generously paid all expenses (except airfare). It was wonderful to experience the profound gratitude of these energetic and productive people for the sacrifices made by our soldiers on their behalf. I could go on and on here, but that's not the point of this post.

Just prior to leaving I had started a project where I have been working on doing variations of one landscape in pastel. The point of this exercise is to push boundaries and see what I can come up with. Because my time is the studio is limited to four days, I have been seeing what I can do to reduce the time spent on the small pieces I post here. These pieces are pastel and because they are small studies I thought I would give prospective buyers some options.

You may purchase the pieces unframed with a double matt, Framed with a Matt and Unframed with no matt. The prices are listed on the drop down menu above. I hope to be doing about 50 pieces as part of this color study. If you are interested in purchasing more than one with a price break, just email me and I'll be happy to quote you a price.

While this piece is shown in a dark cherry frame, a limited number are also available in oak frames. Email me if you'd like a photo of the piece in an oak frame before purchasing.

Market Scene of Fish Dealer, Oil on Canvas, 8.25" x 9.5" Inches

"Always fresh!"
Sold

A collector recently asked me to paint a piece to go with another she had purchased from me. It's been awhile since I painted scenes from my Mediterranean trip last year so I really enjoyed doing this little piece. Hope she likes it.

Sunset painting, Pastel, 20" x 26"

"August's Last Blush"





I've been experimenting with pastels and watercolor recently. Clouds and sunsets have always intrigued me. I love the luminosity of watercolor and the intensity of pastels. I managed in this painting to bring both into play. I have no way of telling how this image will appear on your monitors, but the colors have subtle changes in hue and intensity. The opacity of the pastels played against the transparency of the watercolor makes for a good contrast and mimics the way in which clouds hover at different altitudes and sometimes work to mask the sun completely.

This painting when purchased is available double matted and comes with a protective sheet and it's own case to protect the image. Price is $575. Shipping is free. Email me if you are interested.

Pet Portrait of a Dachshund, 9" x 12", Oil on Canvas

"Sassy"






Meet Sassy. One of my students recently lost her beloved pet to old age and asked me to paint a portrait of her. My heart aches for this lovely lady and her husband who grieve for this sweet dog who's heart was warm and who was always gentle with strangers and family alike. If pets go to heaven - and I believe they do, then God saved a special place for this good dog where the fields always smell of sweet grass and breezes carry scents of warm sunshine and fragrant flowers and there is always a loving hand to give a belly rub.

Painting of Pink Peonies in Small Bouquet, 8" x 10"

"Practice Peonies"

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $49 USD plus $12 USD s/h
Or, send me an email
Summer's nearly over. Health issues have kept me from being in the studio this summer but as the fall approaches and things are resolving, I hope to be publishing more often. As I'm returning to atelier this fall for two days a week and I'll be teaching all day Wednesday, that leaves me four days for studio, home and social life. I promise to do my best but I'm sorry to say I'll not be able to claim daily painting status any longer as the new demands on my time will make that very difficult. I'll continue to be a part of DailyPainters.com, however, for awhile.
I've been away from paint for so long, I thought I should at least give some flowers a try and work out the rust in my painting hand.

Pastel Painting of Duck a Bush Salt Flats, 22 1/2" x 10"

Mattina Tranquilla"
SOLD

On a recent return trip from Olympia, WA, my husband stopped the car at the Duck a Bush river so that I could take pictures of the salt flats. This area always intrigues me but unfortunately I never seem to be able to get there when the light is right. This time we were there in late morning. Not the best light but I made do. I improvised a bit on the color but I think this pretty much captures the moment. I may do an oil on this next.

Oil Painting of Magnolia Spray, 11" x 14", Oil on Panel

"Magnolia Spray"






I've recently been introduced to Facebook. Ok...I'm a little behind there. But then, not everyone blogs either. Anyway, as a result, I hooked up with a friend from my teen camp days and she commissioned a small painting. My friend didn't want a vase in this floral, however; she requested instead only a spray. So here it is. Hope she likes it. To see how this painting was done, see a step by step demonstration with pictures and explanation at www.musensbysusan.blogspot.com.

Painting Study of a Brass Pitcher, 9" x 12"

The past few weeks have been filled with parties, visiting guests, summer shows, studio tours and teaching. I've hardly had time to work at actually painting anything. But here's a study of a brass pitcher I whipped out during class. I'm just finishing up a landscape and hope to get that up on the site soon. Sorry for the absence. I live with guilt these days over not getting enough done. Yipes...I still have a commission to start. Sorry Arlene!

Nude Figure Study, 9" x 12" Oil on Panel

"Contrapasto"

I've been pretty busy getting ready for a three day studio tour. The Sequim Arts Third Annual Open Studio Tour takes place this year during the Lavender Festival on July 17th, 18th, and 19th. As most of you know, I have a new studio and so this was a good opportunity to show it off a bit. I have a bunch of studies that I did for school just before the summer break and I'll be showing some of them this week as a way of filling space. I can't actually get back to the easel until after the tour. Thanks for staying tuned.